The Sato Case: Chapter 3

A few hours after everyone left the hospital, Chief Beifong drove up to the main gate which led to the Sato mansion. Immediately after exiting the vehicle, she was rushed by a crowd of reporters all vying for the Chief's attention and statement. She simply lifted her hand and weaved through the overzealous journalists to be let in by one of her security officers. She made her way up a manicured walk to the estate; an enormous building settled on a vast plot of land with plenty of acreage behind it. Lin knew the place well. She had attended several events there on formal occasions - happier occasions...

She walked in through the extravagant front doors and found the foyer littered with officers and forensics experts. Lieutenant Saikhan and Detective Li, who were running point on this case, were still assessing the scene.

"What do you have so far?" The Chief asked as she approached them.

Li flipped his notebook to the previous page and read, "Mrs. Sato and her daughter Asami were upstairs at the time of the break-in. Approximately 2 in the morning. Everyone was supposedly asleep, except for Mr. Sato who was busy in his workshop. The perps entered the mansion through a side door, shattering the glass window on their way in. Based on the statement from the girl Asami, there were four of them. They took several items from different rooms in the house; fine art, crystal, jewelry, you name it... If it was valuable, they took it. We're thinking that Mrs. Sato heard the glass shatter and then caught them in the act. They killed her and then fled the scene, presumably through the point of forced entry."

"Cause of death?"

"Stabbed in the stomach." Li replied, "but there is very little blood on the scene."

"I can see that." She said, gesturing down to the crime scene tape where the violence occurred and examining it.

"The doctor said that the wound was somehow cauterized, but we're waiting on conformation from the coroner. As far as I know, there's only one way a wound can be burned like that."

"So, we're looking for a firebender."

"Seems so. It's a shame too. The doctor said that due to the cauterization, she could have survived if she had been hit in a slightly different place."

"Ah. A firebender and an experienced killer."

"How do you figure?" Saikhan asked.

"He aimed to kill, Lieutenant." Beifong said as she surveyed the scene. "Take me to the point of entry."

Li and Saikhan pointed the way to a small door at the end of a coat room that lead out to the left side of the home. Cheif Beifong stepped up to the door and examined the hole punched through the glass. She carefully opened the door and looked down at the shattered glass on the ground. "Tell me gentlemen, if they broke in through this door and unlocked it, then why is all of the glass on the outside of this room?"

Li and Saikhan both squeezed into the tiny room and peered at the glass in astonishment. "She's right. How did we miss that?" Li mumbled and searched through his notebook.

"What does it mean?" Lieutenant asked.

"It means that this door was unlocked, or - well, you tell me Lieutenant."

After he realized what she was saying, Saikhan rushed back into the foyer and called to an officer stationed at the door.

"Officer Bao!"

"Sir!" the young man replied formally.

"Get me Detective Jian! We need a list of everyone who had access to this house."

Lin lowered her voice and beckoned Li and Saikhan to come near. "This room is also too far away from the bedrooms. Even if they broke the window upon entry, no one would have heard it. I think this happened on their way out."

"Why would anyone break a window on the way out of a burglary?" Saikhan asked skeptically.

"To protect the person who let them in, or at least the person who gave them access to this door." Lin explained.

"We have to be very careful with how we proceed." Li interjected. "If this was an inside job -"

"Keep this information quiet - for now. If the accomplice is close, we don't want to tip him off."

"Agreed. What's next, Chief?" Saikhan asked seriously as they moved back into the foyer.

"We need more information about the actual attack. You said before that you took a statement from the young Asami?"

"That is correct." Li replied.

"Did she provide any useful information? Descriptions of the assailants, what they sounded like -"

Li shook his head, but still checked in his notebook again. "She was very shaken up and exhausted. All she told us was that the bad men chased her mom down the stairs, hurt her, and then fled the building."

Lin gazed up the elegant staircase, a look of determination in her eyes. "I think it's time we revisit her statement."